Succulents come in many different varieties, sizes, and colors. Some are spiky, some are soft, some have rounded leaves while others have pointed. Some produce flowers while some do not. They are beautiful and unique, adding eye candy and interest to your home.
Sunlight Requirements:
Before heading to the plant nursery to shop for succulents, look around your home at the sunlight that is streaming inside. Most succulents need bright, indirect sunlight, so you need a sunny location near a window. South-facing and west-facing rooms typically have a lot of natural light that filters throughout the day. If you don't have a south-facing or west-facing room, you can still grow succulents in north or east-facing rooms, you'll just need to be more strategic with their location to make sure they receive enough sunlight.
Soil Requirements:
Succulents need plenty of drainage and therefore love cactus/ succulent soil. This type of soil is superior to an all-purpose potting soil when we're talking about succulents!
Fertilizing:
Succulents do not need an excessive amount of fertilizing. It is best to fertilize succulents once in late winter/ early spring. You can use a balanced water-soluble or slow-release granular fertilizer; either one will work well as long as you follow the package directions. When we say a "balanced" fertilizer, we mean the three numbers on the fertilizer bag will be in equal numbers. The first number is the amount of nitrogen, the second is the amount of phosphorus, and the third is the amount of potassium the fertilizer has. If you're worried you might accidentally over-fertilize, we recommend a water-soluble fertilizer applied once in late winter or early spring. Avoid getting any fertilizer on the leaves of your succulent- this can lead to burning of the leaves.
If you've recently repotted your succulent with new soil, we would recommend not fertilizing this year. Your new soil will contain enough nutrients for the plant for quite awhile and by fertilizing (with new soil), your succulent could get stressed.
Watering:
Succulents do not need much water to thrive. Depending on the humidity levels and the temperature in your home, you might only water your succulent once a month. When watering, water well/ deeply, and then let it completely dry out before watering your succulent again.
Spring and Summer Care:
Succulents add such beauty inside our homes and during the warmer months, they can add great beauty outdoors as well! We can only grow succulents well in pots outdoors in Middle Tennessee.
Once our threat of frost has passed (around the end of April), you can take your indoor succulent pots outside on a covered patio or back deck where they can receive indirect sunlight (please note 'indirect sunlight'- they will get too toasty in full, all-day hot sunshine!). They will enjoy the warm temperatures and in some cases of indoor plants (such as the Christmas cactus), our outdoor humidity encourages them to bloom later in the year. Your plants will also probably grow quite a bit being outdoors in indirect sunlight.
You do not have to take them outdoors during the summer, however! They are perfectly happy (succulents are non-fussy like that!) being indoors in a sunny room that receives bright, indirect sunlight.
If you take your succulents outdoors in summer, they may need a bit more watering, however, their roots do not like to be soggy or wet or they will die. They actually store up water in their plump little leaves.
Fall and Winter Care:
If you have had succulents outside during the warmer months, it is time to bring them back inside before any signs of frost. Our fall frosts start around October 15th. Bringing them inside again around the mid-end of September allows them to begin to acclimate again to the indoors as they wind down and enter the dormant period where they do not grow. Place them again in a sunny room that receives bright, indirect sunlight.
In cooler months, you will not need to do too much to take care of your indoor succulents. They do not require much water during their dormancy, so just a bit every 2 weeks or so is just fine. It is common to over-water, as we mentioned above, so it is better to ere on the side of less water than too much. Do not fertilize during these cooler months, either. Your succulents will just want to rest and rejuvenate before next spring again.
Ask us questions at the nursery or on social media- we are here to help!